


Monsters under your bed

by Sociallyawkwardwriter



Category: Eurovision Song Contest RPF, Festival di Sanremo RPF
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Monsters, One Night Stands, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:15:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22305538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sociallyawkwardwriter/pseuds/Sociallyawkwardwriter
Summary: Based on the following prompt on tumblr:- if two people sleep in a bunk bed do they have to share a monster- ‘our humans are sleeping in bunk beds and we have to share the space under’ is one of the three most popular fanfiction premises in monster AO3Original prompt here
Relationships: Ermal Meta & Fabrizio Moro, Ermal Meta & Other(s), Ermal Meta/Fabrizio Moro
Comments: 20
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a long time coming, I've been working a lot on this story through the last year. Always torn between loving and hating it. I'll let you be the judge of the final product.  
> This story is a bit more unconventional and possibly not what you're used from me, so I would love to know what you thought.  
> The lovely [raisedtokeepquiet](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raisedtokeepquiet/pseuds/raisedtokeepquiet) also wrote a story for the same prompt, so be sure to check it out!  
> [Give your fears to me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18788827)

Once upon a time, there was a monster, hiding under a bed, the frame creaking above them. They sighed, rummaging in the assortment of things that get collected under a bed for a pair of dirty earplugs. They knew they won't get their job done anytime soon. Bloody humans, couldn't even do what they were supposed to do. It was a rainy, cold October evening, an evening to stay inside and watch horror movies. Not the evening to bump into this cute guy and take him home to have sex with him the whole. damn. night.

Monster sighed again, trying to get a glimpse at the glaring red numbers of the human's alarm clock. Oh, for Dracula's sake, were they going to keep this up all night? No groaning they could make would be even noticed right now, all chilly breezes only pleasantly cool on the humans’ overheated skin.

Bored, they started to count dust bunnies, patiently waiting for the movements to stop, so that they could finally pick up their work again.

A light touch at their pointy elbow made them twitch, an inhumane shriek leaving their mouth. The shaking of the bed finally stopped, but this wasn't how it was supposed to go, this had no finesse, no technique; what if they’ll get noticed? Monster held their breath.

"What was that?", they could hear the stranger mumble, his voice breathless.

"Probably a cat", their own human answered, his voice even rougher than usual. It was quiet for a few short seconds before disgustingly cheerful giggling could be heard from above, the creaking of the frame starting up once again.

Monster exhaled in relief before turning to the thing that had caused all this, the thing that now blinked at them with yellow eyes, their red claws that had touched Monster still raised.

"What are you doing here?", Monster hissed.

"This is my jurisdiction! Get out of here."

Thing shrugged, crawling closer towards Monster.

"But that's my human up there. And I still have to fulfill my monthly quota."

Monster rolled their eyes but made some space for Thing, their long, dark hair falling into Monster's eyes and tickling their nose.

"How is that my problem?"

"Well then go complain to Administration", Thing said, their claws digging into the wood of the frame. Monster huffed.

"Bloody administration."

Their long, reptilian tongue came out to lick over split, dry lips.

“Never get anything done anyway, lazy bastards”, they grumbled, trying to put as much distance between themselves and Thing as they could, even though it was now pretty crowded under the bed. Then the two creatures turned silent, Monster focussing on continuing to count the bunnies, ignoring the little red dots of blood Thing sprinkled over the floor with each heavy exhale.

It took too long, far too long if you’d ask Monster before the room turned finally silent, but the sky was still dark, the long nights of the winter already tightening their hold on the world. Absentmindedly, Monster noted how unusually this was for their human, he usually preferred to spend nights like these elsewhere, but that was all Monster knew. They had at least a few manners and didn’t barge into others’ territories like certain other creatures.

Speaking of, a dangerous hissing from Thing pulled them out of their musings. Disinterested, Monster looked up from their bunnies, their eyes easily able to pick out the shadow next to the door, a shadow that didn’t belong there, a shadow darker and denser than all the others surrounding it.

The hissing sound of Thing grew louder as the shadow started to move, slowly wafting over furniture and textiles, gliding along the colorful lines of the carpet, making it practically invisible. It had almost reached the bed, when Thing jumped out from under it, their claws plunging into the grey mass that suddenly seemed much more tangible than before.

Monster could hear one of the humans move in the bed above them and they were pretty sure it was the stranger, as an almost painful groan echoed through the room, dulled by the mattress. Thing’s claws tightened and Monster was sure if the shadows had voices, they would now hear a painful scream as the mass seemed to waver, its edges becoming unclear before it finally dissolved and vanished, not a trace of it being left behind. With a huff, Thing joined Monster back under the bed, not saying a word, but Monster could sense their restlessness.

“Got quite a pest problem, haven’t you?”

“Yeah”, Thing nodded or at least Monster thought they did, it was difficult to say with all that hair or pelt or whatever that was around their head.

“It’s annoying, really. Makes it difficult to manage my timing, if I have to force them to stay away and at the same time still make my monthly contingent. I even asked HR to get me one of the interns or maybe even trainees, but it’s impossible! All of them are already assigned to one of the higher-ups.”

“Oh geez, that sucks”, Monster replied, appropriately sympathetic. “We still don’t have enough monster power down here, they really don’t care how we’re doing it, just as long as we get the job done.”

Thing sighed, a cloud of fine blood staining the mattress between the bars of the slatted frame.

“You don’t need to tell me.”

Monster nodded but froze in their movements when they could hear rustling from above, the two bodies moving in their sleep. Thing didn't seem too concerned about that, cleaning their claw from a scrap of dark mass that was still hanging on to it, quickly gulping it down when it started to move again. 

"Think we'll still manage to get a scare in today?" they asked then. Monster could see the dark mass moving in their stomach. They shrugged, the scar tissue over the middle of their chest moving with the motion. 

"Well, you know. I‘ll take what I can get." 

They could feel Thing's eyes on them as they slowly crawled to the edge of the bed, regarding the foot that was seemingly hanging in the air in front of them with subtle interest. They took a deep breath, their belly growing like an air balloon before blowing their icy breath along the sole of the foot, grinning as the human shivered and the foot vanished from their sight, Monster making a mental tick in their favor. That would keep their superiors quiet, at least. Satisfied, they crawled away again, making themselves comfortable between two bars and closing their eyes. They were done for the night and if their human woke up again, they would notice. It had turned out that the human wasn't very subtle. Monster could hear Thing snort before coarse hair rubbed against their side, Thing pressing themselves right next to Monster. 

"Must be nice", they murmured. "You don't have to deal with any shadows at all?"

Monster shrugged, their elbow hitting Thing in the side but they apparently didn't even notice. 

"Sometimes they come and when they come, they are a lot. And very persistent. But most nights, it's smooth working."

"Scary."

Monster had to smile, the corners of their mouth cracking.

"Yeah, it actually is pretty scary."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fabrizio's POV

When Fabrizio woke up, he immediately noticed that something was different. Mostly because there was a warm arm slung around his hip, a leg tightly entangled with his own and a face squashed right into his neck. He had to smile, trying to tamp down the weird feeling in his stomach. He really didn't want to be that guy, the guy who couldn't remember that there weren't any feelings involved, the one who took the one-night stand too seriously.

Carefully, he detangled himself from his human blanket and sat up, his feet hitting the carpet and making him shiver despite its warmth. His sole tingled, the distinct memory of something cold making him frown.

He looked back over his shoulder, at the man who was still sleeping in his bed, his face relaxed as if he hadn't had a worry in his life. Fabrizio bit his lip.

This really wasn't his style under normal circumstances. Not that he didn't have one-night stands, but he would never take them home himself, always preferring to sleep at the other person's home, unwilling to give up the option to leave whenever he pleased. Under normal circumstances.

He sighed, stroking his hand over his face. But clearly, these weren't normal circumstances.

Even to himself, he could admit that he had been a little bit creepy. He had first seen the other man a few weeks ago, a new barista at his favorite coffee shop. Fabrizio had never believed in love at first sight but he might have to reconsider his feelings on the topic. Because he immediately had fallen head over heels for the other man's charming smile and adorable locks, his long limbs and even his nose. So instead of just taking his coffee and leaving like usual, he had decided to stay just a few moments longer, slowly sipping his hot drink while trying to inconspicuously watch the other man at his work. And if he was those few minutes late to his own work, well. That didn't really matter. He was his own boss after all. No one actually cared when he opened his record shop anyway.

Unfortunately, this had soon become a habit. Every morning, he would visit the café and order a coffee. And every morning, the cute barista would be there, giving him his daily dose of caffeine and Fabrizio would sit down, slurping his hot beverage and watch the attractive man smile at other people, causing more than half of the clientele to gaze at him adoringly. 

At least that was until a few weeks ago. Then the guy's behavior changed, he seemed to be down, his bright smile had dimmed and he didn't even look at Fabrizio anymore when he handed him his cup. He had slowly returned back to his old self over time, but his smile was still missing the brilliance from before.

And then yesterday had happened.

Fabrizio had visited his favorite bar, warmly greeting the bartender, Claudio, a good friend of his, when his eyes immediately zoned in on a familiar figure. Adorable dark locks, framing a statuesque face and a smile, Fabrizio would probably be able to pick out of a million.

His elegant hands were cradling a glass that contained definitely not Fanta and with the way his smile was just that bit brighter, his posture just that bit looser, Fabrizio assumed that it wasn't his first one either. He knew he was staring but couldn't help it, his eyes focusing on those prominent collar bones that were not visible when the man was wearing his work clothes and he was drawn to the way the man exposed his neck when he was laughing, throwing his head back. Fabrizio had to swallow.

Then, when he had least expected it, the man was looking up and mesmerizing, dark eyes found his before he was able to avert his gaze. Fabrizio's heart was in his throat, unsure how the other man would react, wondering if he would even recognize him.

He still didn't expect the slight nod in his direction and even less the confident smirk that tugged at the stranger's lips.

"You know him?" Claudio's words interrupted his staring, Fabrizio twisting towards his friend, his eyes wide open. 

"What?"

Claudio raised an eyebrow at Fabrizio's reaction, now regarding the young man on the other end of the bar more closely, his gaze moving up and down before he focused on Fabri again, a pensive expression on his face, obviously mulling his words over.

"He's no regular here", was what he apparently finally settled on.

Fabri sighed, looking at Claudio over the rim of his glass.

"I know, trust me. And I do get to know people aside from here, you know."

Claudio shrugged and opened his mouth as if to say something but stopped, a wary expression entering his face. Fabrizio wanted to ask him what was going on but then nimble fingers wrapped around his arm and when he looked up, a charming smile was beaming his way. 

"Hey", the man greeted him, one of his dark locks falling into his face but he didn't even seem to notice. "You look familiar."

Fabrizio cleared his throat, shooting a look towards Claudio who was way too interested in checking his stock of apple juice right in front of them.

"I'm a customer at the coffee shop you work at", he finally replied when the silence had dragged on a little bit too long. 

"Right", the man said. "I noticed you. Always staying for a few minutes to enjoy your coffee.” He cocked his head. “I was told you didn't do that before I started there." Fabrizio almost choked on his beer, looking at the man alarmed, his fingers gripping the neck of the bottle tightly. Claudio had by now given up on all pretenses not to listen to what was going on between them.

"I- I didn't mean to – “

"I wouldn't mind, you know", the young man said stepping a little bit closer to Fabrizio, his own drink forgotten as one of his hands was starting to gently wander down Fabrizio's back, making him shiver involuntarily. 

"Excuse me, but I think you're too drunk", Claudio interrupted, a rag balled into his fist. As if an afterthought, he added, "Sir."

The stranger turned to him, a sneer on his face as he was leaning on to the counter, one of his hands still holding onto Fabrizio. 

"Trust me, I'm not too drunk for this, I know what I'm doing. And it's really none of your business."

"But – “

"Is he your boyfriend?" 

Claudio frowned, taking a step back and shooting a look towards Fabrizio. 

"What? No." 

The stranger's grip on his arm was getting stronger.

"Is he in a relationship with someone else?"

Confused, Claudio shook his head and the stranger stepped back from the counter so he was closer to Fabrizio again. 

"Well, neither am I."

Fabrizio looked up, the stranger seemed to be set on ignoring him for now but his words strung a chord with Fabrizio. Or it was less the words but the voice, a voice so sad and empty that without even knowing what happened, Fabrizio felt for the other man. Then his hand was gripped and the stranger tugged at him, Fabrizio more than willing to follow his lead. 

"So you know", the guy was still saying towards Claudio "Two consenting adults and all that shit, none of your business."

The air was cold when they left through the door of the bar, Fabrizio's eyes drawn to the moon for a second that was fully lightening up the dark sky with its silvery gleam. He didn't have much more time to contemplate the nightly scenery, as warm lips were urgently pressing against his, the taste of alcohol souring the kiss. He should say something, somehow it didn’t feel right despite what he had said in the bar, but then the other man pulled him impossibly closer, the thigh rubbing against his crotch halting all rational thoughts and as if on autopilot, one of his hands found its way into dark locks, gripping the hair tightly, those full lips opening on a delicious moan. Fabrizio immediately took advantage, his tongue gently coming out, testing and when the stranger responded, his arms coming around Fabrizio's torso, their chests pressing together and he could feel his excitement through the rough denim of his jeans. Fabrizio tugged again at the luscious hair, eliciting a deep moan from the other man, but then his shoulders were gripped tightly, desperately. Fabrizio let go, taking a cautious step back, regarding the other man with a worried frown on his face.

"What?" the word was almost spat out, a challenge, the young man standing opposite of him smirking but there was something so vulnerable in his gaze and Fabrizio knew that he had done the right thing.

"You didn't like that?"

The young man shrugged, averting his gaze. His tongue came out to lick over his red, bruised lips, distracting Fabrizio's attention for a moment.

"What's your name?"

"Ermal"

Fabrizio nodded, grabbing the wrist of the other man and pulling him closer again, his nose stroking along that delicious neck, his own lips pressing gently against that Adam's apple, something he had wanted to do for weeks now. Ermal's breath hitched, making Fabrizio smile against the skin, his hand slowly wandering upwards again.

"You don't like it when I touch your hair?" he whispered into Ermal's ear, his fingers playing with the short hair in Ermal's neck. 

"No."

"No?" The fingers stopped, gently moving down, tickling his spine.

"No, that's not what I meant!"

Fabrizio raised his head, looking the other man into his eyes and he hoped he could show him how serious he was. His hand was coming up to gently cradle Ermal' face.

"Tell me", he whispered. "I want to make you happy, even if it’s just for tonight."

He could see the other man swallow, his fingers desperately gripping the fabric of Fabrizio's shirt.

"I like it when you touch my hair, just not too tightly."

Before he had even finished the sentence, Fabrizio's hand was back in his hair again, softly stroking the locks, his fingertips gently massaging the scalp, making Ermal moan so loud, Fabrizio needed to shut him up, pressing their lips tightly together, Ermal's own hands slowly wandering down his back, until they reached the hem of his jeans, making Fabrizio’s breath hitch.

"Maybe we should do this somewhere else?" Fabrizio asked after they parted, licking his lips.

"Your place or mine?"

Fabrizio was about to shrug, but then flashes of Ermal's dark curls fanned out on his own cushion were flashing before his eyes and he had to swallow before taking the hand of the other man and pulling him towards his own apartment urgently without another word.

And now here they were. 

One last look over his shoulder, watching the ethereal beauty lying on his bed and Fabrizio couldn't believe his luck. Because he knew that was all it was in the end. Just dumb luck that he was the one being picked by this gorgeous man for the night. He sighed. Hopefully, he didn't have to look for a new coffee shop now.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?"

Surprised, Fabrizio turned around again, dark brown eyes meeting his, but there was something mischievous in the gaze that he hadn't noticed yesterday. He huffed, the corners of his mouth tugging upwards. 

"Well, no actually. It was... " He pretended to think, exaggeratedly inclining his head, tipping with his finger against his chin.

"Tolerable."

Ermal gawked at him, finally coming up to sit. Fabrizio couldn't hide the bright smile any longer. 

"Tolerable? I'll show you – "

A shrill ringing interrupted his words, the smile dropping from Ermal's face as he stretched himself to reach for his phone. Fabrizio watched his movements, saw him look at the screen and it was as if every single muscle in his face tensed. 

The ringing stopped when Ermal wiped over the screen, but Fabrizio could see in the tense line of Ermal’s shoulders that the light atmosphere from earlier was now destroyed. 

“I have to go.”

Ermal quickly got out of bed without another word, pulling on his clothes and grabbing his things in a hurry without deigning Fabrizio another look. He only stopped at the door but didn't turn around, his fingers gripping the frame tightly. 

"I guess I'll see you around then?" 

"Yeah. See you around."

But the door fell shut behind him, long before Fabrizio finished his sentence. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of backstory about our lodgers under the beds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been mulling over this chapter, probably for far too long, wondering how much backstory I wanted or should or could include. I also didn't want to be too mysterious and leave everything ambiguous. In the end, I left it as it was... I hope you're up for some boring Monster talk!  
> Oh, and if this wasn't clear by now, I got some inspiration from Monsters Inc. , tho obviously my turn on it is a bit darker.

Monster was just enjoying their free time, leafing through the leathery pages of the new manual that had been issued by HQ, when they could smell that something wasn't right. Carefully, they raised their head, their nose scrunching up, trying to detect what exactly was disturbing their senses. 

Rough, dark hair and yellow eyes came into their line of sight and Monster huffed. What were they doing here? They cautiously made space when Thing entered under the bed, regarding their colleague with suspicion. 

"Do you have special permission?"

"Special permission?"

"To leave the circle of your jurisdiction."

Thing rolled their eyes, making themselves comfortable in one of the corners of the bed.

"Oh please. Our territories are directly bordering each other, it's not like I would have disturbed anyone else with my 'leaving'" 

They made the appropriate air quotes sign, smirking at Monster. Monster could only huff, wiping away some of the droplets of blood that were staining the floor. 

"Still", Monster said, crossing their arms as best as they could in the narrow space.

"What if someone comes looking for you?"

Thing scoffed derisively, a red cloud spraying in front of them. 

"Who? Administration? Don't you think they have better things to do?"

Monster gritted their teeth but didn't really know what to say, knowing full well that the other was right. They shuffled a bit further away from Thing who was now interestedly snooping through the manual, Monster wincing every time their sharp claw pierced one of the pages. 

"So", Monster finally managed to press through their fangs, adamant to at least try a civil conversation. "How has it been going for you? You know, since the last time we met."

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to ask.

Thing sighed heavily, throwing the booklet away from them.

"It's been horrible. I mean it always has been, since the moment I got appointed. He just doesn't sleep! I mean, obviously he does but you get my drift. And when he does, well… you saw the pest problem I have to deal with. How am I supposed to work like this? And then, you know, last week after he met your human, he was actually getting better, I couldn't believe it myself! But of course, that only lasted for a few days.”

Thing huffed and looked at Monster accusingly as if that were all their fault.

“Now it's back to the way it was before and I just... I can't get any work done." 

Surprised, Monster didn't really know how to respond. Thing had never spoken that much to them, not even during the monthly general meetings and at the end, their voice had reached a dangerous pitch. The other creature seemed to be seriously distressed.

"I... " Monster started, unsure. "I'm really sorry, that sounds rough."

Thing huffed, playing with one end of the thread that protruded from their lips.

"It's just... that sounds... He doesn't sleep?" Cautiously, Monster cocked their head. "Is it…?"

"The shadows are keeping him awake."

"Ah", Monster said again, looking at the scars marring Thing's body and the bloody holes in their lips, connected only by a loose thread in a macabre play of connect-the-dots. Automatically, their hand came up to cover the ugly hole in their chest, their own scars a vivid crisscross over their flesh.

"I'm sorry."

Thing nodded, averting their eyes.

The marks reminded Monster of the time when they were still trainees, blissfully unaware of the true meaning behind them. It wasn’t until the last term of the program when they were finally instructed properly.

Of course, there were whispers before. You couldn’t really keep something big like this a secret. Not when so many were involved. But they all knew that there would be serious consequences if you were caught talking about it.

To treat the issue with the seriousness it deserved, Administration said. To not frighten the young was what everybody else said. They couldn’t risk them fleeing the Company and leaving them with a shortage of workforce.

Monster hadn’t really heard a lot before taking the course. To be frank, they weren’t popular enough to be involved in this kind of gossip. And they weren’t really one for believing in rumors anyways.

They would probably never forget their first lesson.

It had been a rainy afternoon around the start of the semester. Monster came into their lecture hall, wet clumps of fur sticking together and if Monster would be able to feel the cold, they would probably be shivering now.

Their professor was an old retiree with the most extraordinary marks Monster had ever seen. They walked into the lecture hall, the bloody stump they had in place of one of their arms cheerily waving at their students. 

"Hullo, hullo! I hope you all found the place somehow. I mean obviously you did. Everyone ready to learn the deep dark secrets of our society? Well… you're in luck."

They took out an old picture on a slide, projecting it against the wall with an overhead projector. Monster stretched their neck to see better, but it seemed to be only the face of a human, the color of the photo seemed to be off and the edges torn. His face was serious, the young man the photo depicted not showing the hint of a smile, his clothes seemed to be that of the military they had seen on many other pictures during their history lessons about the dark ages. The time when the shadows were too strong and they couldn’t accumulate enough scaring and the balance of the world was about to be tipped over.

“See this man right here?” The professor’s voice returned Monster’s attention to the photo again.

“Who this man was shouldn’t matter to you, what his name was shouldn’t matter to you. You only need to know one thing about this man. He was my charge. He was my human.”

With a sigh, the professor let the photo disappear again, the lecture hall falling silent for a moment.

“So tell me,” they started again, slowly wandering through the hall, making eye contact with the students. Monster almost shivered as those intense black eyes met theirs.

“What is it that separates the graduated from the trainees?”

A few hands were raised in the air, the professor looking at them dubiously.

“And now everyone put their hand down who was about to say ‘marks’.”

Slowly, all hands were lowered, the creatures in the hall looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and indignity. The professor nodded tight-lipped.

“Yes, thought as much. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s no shame to think that, you are all after all still trainees. But what separates the graduates from the trainees are not the marks or at least not only that.”

The professor returned to their desk, looking at the class silently for a few seconds. Monster was impatiently fidgeting on their chair, until the professor took a deep breath, their voice ominously echoing through the hall.

“It’s pain.”

A murmur was raising in the hall, even though no one seemed to dare to speak, a nervousness running through the rows, abruptly stopping when the professor cleared their throat.

“My human… I think most of you have already guessed this but I lived through the dark ages. When I was assigned my human, I was as you are now, sitting here, unblemished and without marks. It was a long time ago, no one really knew what would await us then. The dark ages… they were unprecedented. The shadows grew stronger and stronger and we were… weakened. You see, getting your marks... it's painful. It will weaken your body. Because our marks, are the wounds of our humans. Not only physical but psychic as well. So remember, every time you wake up because there's a new scar on your arm or leg, when there's suddenly a limb missing..."

The professor stopped for a moment, absentmindedly stroking the remaining parts of their arm.

"Just remember that your human is going through the same right now. Only about ten times worse. Remember that, children."

And Monster remembered. 

They remembered when they felt it for the first time after receiving their appointment, the first light scar scabbing their knee. But that pain wasn’t anything compared to the time, the first cut had appeared on his chest and somehow Monster knew, even when they had scrunched their eyes close in anguish that this wound wasn’t a physical one. Countless smaller scars had accumulated right over the middle of their chest during the year when one morning they woke up, their scream still echoing through the darkness, a hollow feeling vibrating through their body. That had been the first hole of many, until there was only one big gaping mouth left, right where they knew the human heart to be, still surrounded by so many little scars, building an indescribable pattern of pain. 

Now Monster reverently touched the crater in their chest, wondering not for the first time how someone with no heart left to give could still be alive. Humans were curious creatures. Then their eyes went back to Thing, to their bloody lips and they were tempted to ask, but didn't. It was frowned upon to ask about somebody else's marks, infringing on the unsaid trust between them and their humans.

So Monster only shook their head, trying to get back to their problem at hand.

"Do you think there is anything you can do about it?"

Thing was looking at them with a meaningful gaze, slowly shuffling closer. "I might have a plan. But I will need your help with this."

And then Thing held out a shiny, silvery ring in front of them, a ring in the form of a pair of wings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed and I would still love to know your thoughts on it!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ermal's POV

Ermal hurried through the streets, the dark clouds threatening to unleash their anger upon him any minute now. The first drops started coloring the grey sidewalk when he finally arrived at the coffee shop, the bell over the door jingling, announcing his arrival to his boss. The man looked at him, clearly surprised, his body mostly hidden behind the big, silvery coffee machine, where he was probably cleaning a spot that had been shining half an hour ago. Ermal was seriously wondering when he would finally propose to the damn thing.

"You're here already? Your shift doesn't start until half past, right?"

Ermal shrugged, taking his scarf off, glancing through the enormous store front window, trying to act as if he was distracted by the people passing by and not actively avoiding looking at the other man. 

"I just didn't want to get wet, you know. And I can still do my work for class here, before my shift."

Deeno narrowed his eyes at the younger man, staring at him suspiciously.

"Right. I mean, if you're here anyways, you can also already start working, if you want. Of course, I'll pay you for the time."

Ermal twisted his face into a grimace that could be barely described as a smile, eagerly trying to hide behind the that hid the tiny cubicle where the employees were able to change.

"Thanks, man."

"Yeah, whatever", the older man grumbled, turning back to polishing the coffee machine. It was still too early for most of their customers, only a few regulars would be in and most of them preferred their no frill coffee. Simple caffeine was paramount at this time of the day. Ermal came back with the apron tugged tight around his midriff and Deeno nodded towards the counter. 

"You can top off the sugar and the milk. Do we still have enough coffee beans?"

"Hmm."

Ermal opened their storage, checking the neatly stocked pile of packages, but he could still feel Deeno's eyes on him. 

"I guess we should be fine for this week, but you might want to place an order before the weekend."

"Okay, thank you. I'll call Andrea then."

They fell silent again, only the quiet music and the rain drumming against the window drowning out the quiet movements of their work. 

"So", Deeno said after a while, his tone of voice making Ermal dread what was about to come.

"You've been... kinda happy since this weekend. You know, I thought this was the happiest that I've seen you since you br – “

Ermal groaned loudly, closing the sugar container with more force than would have been strictly necessary.

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, can we please not talk about that?"

Deeno stopped polishing, turning towards Ermal and crossing his arms. 

"So, what happened... again? Since yesterday... maybe the day before, you've been down again, almost as if no time had passed. Please, talk to me. Did he try and contact you again?" 

Ermal shook his head, staring mindlessly at the sugar in his hand, unmoving. 

"It's not him."

Deeno sighed.

"Then what is it? Please, and don't say nothing. I'm not only your boss, remember?" 

Finally, Ermal looked up, regarding the older man from beneath his eye lashes.

"I know", he murmured before apparently making a decision, slamming the packet of sugar on the table and rounding the counter, coming to a stop next to the coffee machine.

And then he started talking with a slightly trembling voice, Deeno attentively listening. 

He told him about the weeks after his break-up, his nights at the different bars, always picking up a different man but always ending up in the same situation. How he had just wanted to forget for a while, but not only that, he had wanted to feel desired, to feel - loved. And how he got that, but only for a short time, a night, a few hours...

But then last Saturday had happened. He had been already drinking with another guy when _he_ entered the bar, a soft smile on his face when he greeted the bartender. Ermal was immediately fascinated. Maybe it was the tattoos that covered almost all of his arms or the salt-and-pepper beard, Ermal couldn't really tell. Fact was, that he was suddenly unable to look away, his eyes focused on the way the man’s muscles tensed under that tight, black Metallica shirt, fuelling his imagination of where this night could be going.

There was something about the man that felt weirdly familiar to him, but he supposed that happened when you were a barista in a popular coffee shop, people passed you by, more than you could count. Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something about the man that tickled more than a distant memory in Ermal's mind. 

And then it clicked and Ermal remembered. How the man came into their coffee shop almost every morning and how he stayed behind, just for a few minutes, sipping his coffee. Staring at Ermal, always avoiding his gaze immediately when he looked up. According to another colleague, Silvia, the man used to just get his coffee and leave, never staying behind. It was only until Ermal started working at the counter that the man stayed.

As if Ermal didn't know that. The man hadn't been really subtle. He made his decision in a split second. He emptied his glass in one big gulp, smiling brightly at the man he had been sitting next to before he got up and excused himself, advancing on the man from the coffee shop like a tiger on the prowl.

"Wait a moment, this dude that's always sitting over there and staring at you? Ermal, please tell me you're kidding! He could be a stalker, he could be dangerous for all we know, don't you think – “

Ermal only rolled his eyes, waving Deeno's worries away, slightly miffed that his story was interrupted. 

"Please, Fabrizio couldn't hurt a fly."

And there must have been something in his voice or maybe on his face, because Deeno immediately changed his expression.

"Oh dear. _Fabrizio_. I don't like where this is going."

"What? I have no idea what you mean."

"You are so smart, how can you be so stupid?"

Ermal averted his eyes, not looking at Deeno, his fingers playing with the lapels of his apron.

"Okay, good, so you had sex with him and that's it, right? I don't need to file a restraining order right?"

Ermal swallowed, he could feel the emotions bubbling up that he had tried to suppress. If only.

"Quite the contrary, really", he said, hoping that his voice didn't sound as thin to Deeno as it did to his own ears.

"He hasn't been to the shop this whole week." 

Deeno narrowed his eyes at him. 

"That bothers you?"

"No, of course not." 

They both turned silent then, Ermal glaring at his reflection in the coffee machine and Deeno still looking at him as if he was a porcelain doll.

Then the doorbell jingled, announcing their first customer and Ermal couldn't help the way he perked up, stretching to get a better view, only to slink back in disappointment, a quiet huff leaving his lips when it was only one of their regulars, one with decidedly far too few tattoos and hair that was just not soft enough.

"Oh my god, you're in love."

"What?", Ermal scoffed, flexing his fingers.

"Don't be hilarious, that's impossible."

Deeno arched his eyebrow, preparing the customer’s coffee with professional movements. He didn't say anything more on the topic but it was clear that he didn't believe Ermal's half-hearted protest. It was only after he had brought their customer his coffee that he turned to Ermal again, his gaze falling onto his unusually naked finger.

"Still no luck?" he said, thankfully changing the topic.

Ermal sighed, rubbing the empty ring finger on his right hand.

"No, haven't found it yet."

The older man shook his head, looking at Ermal pitifully.

"I'm sorry, I know how much that ring meant to you. And you have no idea where you might have lost it?"

He shrugged his shoulders, hoping that was answer enough for Deeno, the man turning his attention back on his coffee machine, leaving Ermal to take a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second.

The truth was, he had a feeling where he would find his ring. Not where he lost it, no, Ermal was fairly certain that he hadn't lost his ring. But he still knew where it might be now. The scratching of sharp nails sounded loud in his ears, the feeling of being watched like a physical sensation making the hairs of his arms stand up, the unmistakable feeling of blood on his face, so much, so much blood – 

Ermal shook himself, his eyes wide open, he stared unseeingly in front of him, relieved that Deeno was still preoccupied. A shudder made its way from the top of his head, over his shoulders, down to his fingertips, making his knees tremble. He was certain that his ring had been taken and it would be the kind of fucked up irony he would expect, if it was placed in the room of his one-night stand.

After all, it wasn't like he didn't know 

about

the thing under his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it, please let me know what you thought about it!!!
> 
> I will be away tomorrow and the day after but I will post the last chapter before the end of this week.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monster and Thing had a plan. But will it work out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came back earlier today than I expected and decided to finally put an end to this! And yay, I can even say I'm more or less happy with how it turned out, even though I've done some pretty major last-minute changes without actually properly proof-reading them so I hope I'm making sense...   
> Enjoy!

Nervously, Monster gnawed at their nails, their eyes flitting from one corner of the room to the other. Thing was late. Monster dared to squirm closer to the edge of the bed, trying to get a better look at the red numbers of the alarm clock. They made a funny noise in the back of their throat. They were late already, so late.

Soon their human would be home, Monster could almost hear the door opening... Wait, not almost, the door was opening, their human entering the apartment quietly. Monster could just make out the tense expression on his face before they vanished again into the deep, deep darkness of under the bed.

Just in time, as their human entered the bedroom and pulling out one of his overly large pants and slipping into them with a deep sigh. Monster cocked their head. That meant his human wouldn't need to leave their home tomorrow. Excellent. 

The human left the room again and Monster was grateful for the fact that he had the habit of never closing any door properly, always leaving a slit open, so that Monster could peer through it, could hear when he switched the noisy machine on. Their nails made uneven rhythms on the linoleum floor, the material cold against their skin as they pressed against it, waiting, lurking. 

Soon now, soon. 

Their lizard-like tongue swept over their cracking lips, a slight hissing noise leaving their throat, drowned out by the cacophony, a mixture of voices and music, coming from the living room.

Soon.

The doorbell chimed, making Monster freeze under the bed, their mouth widening into a grin, sharp teeth glaring in the darkness. Finally. It was time, their plan was coming to fruition. Their feet shuffled nervously under the mattress, watching as their human got up, their whole body tensing as he opened the door. 

"Ermal?"

"Oh, good. So this was the right door."

Then there was silence, Monster had to roll their eyes. Why were humans like this? The silence continued until it grew uncomfortable, the other human awkwardly clearing his throat.

"May I come in?"

That must have shocked Monster's human out of his trance, as they could hear the distinct scratching of the door being pulled open before falling shut again with a dull thud, the presence of two humans now filling the space of the narrow entrance. 

"How..." Monster heard the voice of their human echo hollowly through the room. 

"What... why are you here?"

There was silence again, Monster could only hear some shuffling. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't – “

"No, I'm just... surprised you showed up. What happened?"

"You didn't come to the cafe again."

Monster impatiently let their nails drum against the floor, but their human didn't say anything and so far everything didn't go awfully well. Hopefully, Thing would show up soon. 

"No, sorry, that wasn’t what I meant, of course, you didn't have to, it's just that -, it's just that I can't find my ring", the other human rambled, causing Monster to wince at the awkwardness.

"Your ring?"

"Yeah, and I thought, maybe you found it?"

"No, I didn’t notice any ring…"

Frustrated, Monster played with the idea of jumping out from under the bed and scaring them into action.

"But come on, we should take a look around the bedroom just in case."

Finally, Monster thought. 

“I’m really sorry for coming here like this”, they heard the stranger say after the bedroom door swung open. But they supposed the other human would be a stranger no longer if their plan would work out. They didn’t even twitch when, finally, they felt the coarse dark hair scratching against their side, wet drops of hot blood spraying onto their nails as rattling breath filled their ears.

“No, I don’t mind it”, their human replied, his bare feet stomping over the soft carpet before Monster could hear rustling.

“Not at all.” The human’s voice was too thin to be probably heard by the other one, but Monster and Thing looked at each other, nervous energy running through their bodies and Monster could see a sliver of silver blinking dully in the darkness.

“But are you sure you lost your ring here? Did you already look elsewhere?”

There was a short silence, only the rustling continued, as Monster’s human kept looking for the other human’s ring.   
“I’m...”, the stranger finally started, Monster could see his feet uncertainly shuffling on the floor. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I left it here.”

“I don’t remember you taking it off when… I mean, I’m pretty sure you wore it when you left though.”

“Yeah, me too.” The other human whispered. Monster slid closer to the edge of the bed to understand him better.

“What? What do you mean?”

Thing’s human groaned, hiding his face behind his hands.

“I was so sure that I had it with me, I only take it off when I’m at home. But then, suddenly, it was gone and somehow… somehow I knew it was here.”

“Why?”

“Look, I know it doesn’t make sense, okay? But I got this feeling…” he sighed, slowly taking a piece of paper out of his jeans pocket. 

"I've found this in my clothes the other day..."

"That's... my card? How did you – “

There was a dull thud and Monster knew even without looking that Thing had let the ring fall, the metal hitting the linoleum and getting the attention of the two humans.

“What was that?” they heard their own human say, but it was the stranger who moved, crouching down next to the bed, his long hair falling into his face. Monster froze when dark eyes met their milky ones and their heart, if they had one, would probably stop right at this moment. Thing didn’t seem to be too concerned about the situation, their long, bony fingers sliding the ring a bit closer to their human.

The man blinked once, before slowly extending his hand and grabbing the jewelry, all the while still staring at Monster, not averting his eyes.

"Did you find it?"

The words of Monster’s human broke through the tense atmosphere, the stranger looking up and immediately forgetting everything about what was under the bed. Only the ring was still in his grasp and he looked at it as if confused. 

"Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?" 

The human shook his head, showing the other man a sheepish smile on his face. 

"Sorry, yeah I found it."

Monster's human nodded, biting his lips.

"That's good then, right?"

"Of course." 

And then the human stood up, without another word, making Monster nervously hold onto Thing's arm, their nails boring into the leathery flesh. What if this didn't work out, what if it would just end like this...

But Thing was still looking confident, a sure smirk stretching the black thread running through their lips.

"Hey", Monster’s human said, hurriedly taking a step towards the other man, gently caressing his elbow.

"I'm really glad that you found it."

The man with the weird hair nodded, looking at the other man as if was searching for something with a need in his eyes that bordered on desperate.

"Yeah."

He seemed to think for a moment, before apparently making a decision and taking a deep breath.

"Hey, could I... could I ask for another favor?"

"Uhmm... okay?" their human said, his hand still laying softly on the other man's elbow, his fingers drawing nonsensical patterns on pale skin.

"If you don't mind... could you come to the coffee shop again?"

And with that one sentence, all humans and all creatures in the room fell silent, Monster's nails digging so deep into Thing's arms that they drew blood.

"I kinda wasn’t sure if I would be welcomed there," their human whispered and Monster had never heard him like this before, so insecure and so quiet.

Thing's human slowly shook his head, taking a minimal step closer to their human, until there was only a little bit of space left between them.

“I’m sorry for how I left last time. I’d broken up with someone a few weeks back and…” he swallowed, averting his eyes, his fingers tensing around the asymmetrical form of the ring.

“I don’t know, I just… wanted to feel good for the night but then you made me feel even better, even the morning after but then he called when we were in bed and, I don’t know…”

The man took a shuddering breath.

“I guess, I panicked? I felt… bad for many things I shouldn’t feel bad about and some that I should – “

“For example?”, Monster’s human murmured in a quiet voice, his hand raising to gently cup the other man’s face.

The man took a shuddering breath, his curls swaying with it.

“I just wanted you for the night.”

“And I was okay with it.”

Monster’s human smirked, but there was a tightness to his face that made it seem more like a grimace.

“Two consenting adults and all that shit, remember?”

The other man huffed a laugh, yet it sounded more like a sob. They fell silent for a few moments and Monster forced themselves to slowly loosen their grip on Thing’s arm, watching absentmindedly as the puncture wounds made by their nails slowly closed.

“But…” Thing’s human started again, before biting his lip and silencing himself.

“But?”

There wasn’t an immediate reply and Monster couldn’t see what was happening, they only heard the soft scratching of skin over beard.

"But… I just wanted to see you again", the man finally whispered.

“I’m so glad”, came the equally quiet reply, before their lips pressed together in a chaste kiss, so gentle as if it was their first.

And Monster and Thing looked at each other, lopsided grins splitting their faces, even when they had to get used to the thought that there was now more than one

Monster under the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, the end!!!  
> I can honestly say that even with all their faults, Monster and Thing have become very dear to me over time and I hope I did their story justice! I also hope you liked them (or the story) and please, if you would consider leaving a comment, that would totally make my day...   
> Until the next story...


End file.
